Thread separating thread holder



Oct. 23,- 1945.

THREAD SEPARATING THREAD HOLDER Filed April 1v, 1944 i 3 Sheets-Sheet l III o. v. PAYNE 2,387,289

Oct.1 23, l1945.

Vo. v. PAYNE THREAD SEPARATING THREADHOLDER ns sheets-'sheetl s 'Filed April l, 1944 Patented Oct. 23, 1945 'a33i-zar UNITEDSTATES PATENT oFFICE I ATHREAD SEPABATING THREAD HOLDEt scar V. Payne, Leicester, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 1, 1944, Serial No. 529,146 13 claims; (Cl. 13s-247) This invention relates to thread holders for looms and it is the general, object of the invention to providea holder which will tension two different types of threads and also keep them separated.

In the weaving of certain 'fabrics itis customary to use a decorative stripe of one type of weft, such as rayon or an artical yarn, introduced at intervals in the body of the fabric which is made of a different yarn, "such as coarse woolen or cotton. It is 'desirable to vkeep the two types of threads separated so that the waste can be reclaimed. Heretofore, thread hold- `ers have been made in such a way that all of the weft ends were led to a common point where they become entangled to such an` extent that the two different types of threads could not economically be separated. It is ai important object of my present invention to provide a thread holder having two different sets of traveling surfaces one of which engages one type of yarn and the other of which engages the other type of yarn.

In my prior patent No. 1,842,731l there is set forth a type of thread holder having a pair of geared members between the teeth of which extend the weft ends of reserve bobbins held in a magazine. As shown in the patent the gears are on that side of their support opposite the magazine and the support serves as a guide to hold the threads in proper position for engagementA with the gears. It is a further object of my present invention to supply an additional pair of gears on that side of the support adjacent to the magazine and mount a thread guide over them which will guide the threads downwardly for correct engagement withv the gears.

In geared thread holders of the type mentioned each gear has its own shaft and it is a further object of my present invention to add an additional gear to each shaft and ldrive the shafts by mechanism mounted within the holder in such a way that a common drive mechanism will sufce for both pairs of gears.

The rayon yarns are generally of small diameter and the total number of weft ends from the rayonbobbins forms a small bundle. The weft ends from the woolen or cotton bobbins on the other hand are of much larger diameter and form a relatively large bundle. When the magazine has a full supply of coarse yarn the corresponding bundle of weft ends will be so large as to interfere with the proper operation of the associated pair of gears if the latter are set for proper operation with a few threads only. It is another object of my present invention to provide a resilient mounting for at least one of the gears which engages the coarse yarn so thatit can Yaccommodate itself to the size of the bundle of yarns which it engages. As the number of weft ends diminishes the resiliently mounted gear moves toward its mate to provide theV proper drive for the fewer number of threads. variation between the distance of the gears for the coarse `yarn occurs while the gears for the rayon threads remain at'a fixed distance apart.

The drive for the two pairs of gears is such, how-v ever, that it is effective to actuate the gears for both types of yarns regardless of the distance between the gears for the coarse yarn.

In weft replenishing looms it is customary to cut the thread of a transferred bobbin at` the selvage several picks `after transfer.- A coarse thread extending from the outer, gears when-cut might fall'on the inner pair of gears and become entangled with the finer yarns unless' provisions were made to hold such a thread'away from the rayon yarns. It is another object of my inventionv to provide a guard, preferably formed as part of the aforesaid guide, which extends inwardly beyond the inner gears to hold a cut coarse thread spaced from the liner yarns.

By mounting the pairsof gears on opposite sides of the support or casing which contains the drive mechanism I eiect sufcient separation bef tween the two types of yarn so that they can be gathered independently of each other, thereby simplifying the process of reclaiming.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion'of the loom having my improved thread holder applied thereto and indicating the magazine as supplied with ne and coarse weft bobbins,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1, showing the gears for the coarse wefts, l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1, and showing the gears which cooperate with the fine or small weft ends,

Fig. 4- is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the two shafts each having a gear on each end thereof,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 1,' and showing-the guide for the fine wefts and guard for the coarse wefts,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of one of f the gears for the coarse weft and the supporting shaft therefor,

Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 1 1 of Fig. 6,

Fig; 8 isa diagrammatic side elevation of the gears for the Acoarse weft showing a large bundle of weft ends between them,

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing a reduced number of coarse weft ends between the gears, and

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic front elevation similar to part of Fig. 1 showing the relation of my thread holder and the weft ends which have been cut at the selvage after transfer.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, I have shown a loom frame F having a lay L across which travel several shuttles at least one of which, shown at S, carries fine weft, such as rayon. When depleted shuttle S is replenished by reserve bobbins BF wound with line weft, the other shuttles not shown are replenished by reserve bobbins BC wound with coarse weft. 'I'he bobbins are mounted in the magazine M and are fed down to transfer position in well-known manner. Picking mechanism P ofk usual form is actuated in Well-known manner to drive the shuttles one at a time back and forth across the lay, each of the shuttles arriving periodically in transfer position under the magazine M. i

In order that the shuttles may be properly threaded following replenishing operations it is necessary to provide an anchorage for the weft ends of transferred bobbins. To accomplish this general purpose I use a thread holder H located adjacent to the outer end of that part of the lay near the magazine. This thread holder is mounted on the front of an arm III which is supported on the magazine in such a way that the arm and holder will vibrate during loom operation.

The holder comprises a box-like structure or casing I on the inner vertical wall I6 of which are mounted front and back shafts I1 and I8, respectively. A ratchet Wheel 20, see Fig. 4, is secured to shaft I1 in a manner to be'described and is driven by a pawl 2I,'see Fig. 3, moving with a Weighted member 22 located within the casing I5. During loom operation the weight vibrates with respect to the casing and the relative movement between the pawl and the ratchet causes the latter to rotate, thereby turning shaft I1.

The matter thus far described is of Well-known construction and may be used and operated as set forth in my aforesaid patent.

In carrying my vpresent invention into effect I provide means by which the holder H can tension each of two groups of threads and at the same time keep the groups separated. To accomplish this result I provide two pairs of smooth toothed gears, o ne pair for the coarse yarn on the outer side' of the casing and the other pair on the opposite or inner lside of the casing for the line yarns. The front and back gears of the outer pair are designated at GI and G2, respectively, while the corresponding gears of the inner pair are designated at G3 and G4, respectively. Front gears GI and G3 are on front shaft I1, while rear gears G2 and G4 are on rear shaft I8.

' As shown in Fig. 4 a nut 25 on shaft I1 forces gear G3 against a sleeve 26 surrounding shaft I1, and the sleeve in turnforces the ratchet wheel 20 against an enlarged part 21 of shaft I1. Part 21 of shaft I1 turns in a bearing 28 on wall I6 shorter than shaft part 21. By reason of nut 25 it will be seen that shaft I1, gear G3, and ratchet wheel 20 are turned as a unit by the pawl.

The other or outer end of shaft I1 is formed as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7 and is 4connected to the gear GI by a resilient drive so constructed as to permit lateral displacement `of gear .GI relatively to gear G2. Gear GI has a bushing 30 driven in one end of the bore 3| thereof, preferably the outer end, and this bushing receives an end 32 of a coil spring 33 which is wrapped around the shaft4 I1 and then secured thereto as at 35, see Fig, '7. The internal diameter of the bushing 30 is larger than the adjacent part of shaft I1 and the spring and the gear GI can therefore move laterally with respect to shaft I1.

The spring 33 is sufciently strong to provide a driving connection between shaft I1 and the gear GI. The rear shaft I8 turns in a bearing 4D adjustable on wall I6 toward and from shaft I1 and normally held stationary, as at 4I. The reduced ends 42 and 43 of shaft I8 carry the gears G2 and G4, respectively, and the latter are clamped by nuts 44 against the larger central part 45 of shaft I8. This part 45 is slightly longer than bearing 4I! to permit free rotation of shaft I8 and gears G2 and G4 as a unit.

The inner pair of gears G3 and G4 have their free ends facing the magazine and are therefore unable of themselves to keep weft ends between them since the threads would tend to pull out. In order to cause the fine or rayon yarns to pass down between the gears G3 and G4 I use a form of guide shown more particularly in Figs. 3, 5 and 10. This guide may be formed as a plate 50 held as at 5I to the casing I5. The plate has two inclined edges 52 and 53 which meet at a point substantially over the mid-point between gears G3 and G4 and form a shallow notch 54. The notch is vertically over a point which is intermediate between the free ends of the gears G3 and G4 and the casing I5 so that any threads hanging downwardly from the notch Will pass between the inner gears. The plate 50 has the forward part 55 thereof bent up in such a manner as to facilitate passage of the line threads thereunder. Plate 50 has a slot 56 therein open at the front and extending generally parallel to the length of casing I5. A bar 51 defines the left edge of the slot and is connected at the rear end thereof to the plate. The outer side of the slot 55, Fig. 5, is delined by an edge 58 which is nearer the magazine than the free ends of the gears G3 and G4 while the inner side of the bar 51 has an edge 53 which is farther from casing I5 than is edge 58, all for purposes to be explained.

As shown in Fig. l0 a weft end remainingafter a transfer extends from the thread holder to the cloth B0 and is eventually cut 4by the selvage cutter 6I several picks after transfer. When the lefil end of the thread, designated by dot and dash line A in Fig. l0, is out it falls and would lie across the gears G3 and G4 unless provision were made to keep it away from them. This is particularly true of the coarse threads which are held by the outer pair of gears GI and G2. The

plate 58, however, acts to hold the cut ends inv proper position, as will appearl hereinafter.

In'operation, the magazine may rst be filled with the coarse bobbins BC and their weft ends WC are led over the plate 50 and the casing I5 to a point between the gears Gl and G2. The latter gears may then be turned manually in order t@ insure, correct placement of the weft ends WC. The ne yarn bobbinsBF can then be inserted in the magazine and their weft ends WF led under bar 51 and then over the plate 50 and drawn toward notch 54, after which they are released and fall onto one or another of the gears G3 or G4. Rotation of the latter by an additional turning of gears GI and G2 will draw the ne yarns between their gears.

During loom operation vibration of Weight v22 will cause the turning of shafts I'I and I8 in a manner very similar to that set forth in my prior patent and both the fine and coarse wefts will be tensioned. When a shuttle carrying a coarse weft is to be replenished one of the bobbins BC will move downwardly from its group and the weft end WC corresponding thereto will separate from the group of threads above it and extend over the casing l5 and plate 5D to the newly replenished shuttle. Upon subsequent cutting this coarse thread will fall over bar 51 and hang down as at 60 from edge 59.

When the shuttle carrying the iine weft is to be replenished one of the bobbins BF will drop from its group to transfer .position and carry the corresponding weft end WF downwardly, and upon subsequent cutting at the selvag-e this thread will fall and hang down from edge 58, as at 6i', Figs. 5 and 10 and be spaced from the coarse weft previously dropped.

When the magazine is first iilled with bobbins BC their weft ends will form a large bundle lying between the gears GI and G2. Under these conditions the spring 33 will yield suiciently to permit gear GI to move away from gear G2, se Fig. 8, and the outer pair of gears will therefore be able to rotate despite the presence of a large volume 0f weft ends between them. As weaving continues and the bobbins BC' are used up in successive replenishing operations the bundle formed by their weft ends becomes smaller. Under these conditions the spring 33 moves back to its normal position, thereby carrying the gear Gl toward Ygear G2 to establish proper frictional conditions between these gears and the diminished number of coarse weft ends. The spring 33 is therefore seen to permit the gear GI to accommodate itself to the mass or size of the bundle of weft ends between it and gear G2.

Throughout the self-adjusting operation of the gear GI the gears G3 and G4 will rotate at a iixed distance from each other, no compensation being needed with respect to these gears because the yarns with which they co-act are small. It will be apparent, however, that if desired one or the other ofthe gears` G3 and G4 could have the same character of mounting as that shown for gear GI. But I do not deem it necessary herein to show a yielding mounting for either of the gears G3 or G4. It will also be apparent that the outer gears GI and G2 could be used for the ne yarns and the inner gears G3 and G4 used for the coarse yarns if appropriate change were made in the mounting of one or another of the gears G3 and G4 to permit the self-adjustment already described with respect to gear GI. resilient drive for gears G'I will not be necessary if the yarns WC are of medium size, and so far as certain features of the invention are concerned both the outside gears may rotate on xed axes.

The guide plate 50 is so disposed as not to interfere with the coarse weft ends during transfers,

involving the latter. It will be evident from Fig. 1 that the ne yarns are arranged in a group on one side of the holder while the coarse yarns are similarly grouped on the opposite side thereof The v and for this reason it is possible to separatethe two types of yarn for purposes of reclamation. It is evident that if all the weft in the magazine is. coarse, half of the weft ends can be placed between the outer gears and the other half between the inner gears. While I have shown a vibration motor I am not limited to its use as means for turning the gears.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form of thread holder so constructed that it will tension and at the same time separate two diierent groups of weft threads. The casing or support I5 serves as a separator for .the two diierent groups of weft ends due to its position between the inner and. outer pairs of gears. Furthermore, the guide for the ne Wefts serves to hold'the latter in position for cooperation with the inner pair of gears. Also, the guard for the coarse weft which has been cut at the selvage prevents entanglement thereof with the iine wefts. A common drive mechanism located within the casing I 5 suffices to drive both sets of thread gears, and the spring mounting for the front gear GI permits the latter to adjust its position with respect to gear G2 as the bundle of coarse weft ends diminishes. This relative adjustment of the outer gears takes place while the single driving mechanism continues to oper.

ate and without disturbance of the gears for the fine weft. The spaced edges 58 and 59 effect sepa-. ration of the weft ends which are cut at the selvage. By the use of 4the invention set forth herein it is possible to use two different characters of weft in a loom and keep them separated for the purpose of simplifying reclamation, or y divide the weft ends into two different groups when all the ends are coarse.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modiiications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish t0 be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a pair of geared weft end engaging units rotating on said support and yextending on opposite sides thereof and tending to draw said weft ends away from said mechanism, a guide to direct one of said groups of weft ends toward said geared units on one side of said support;

and a second guide to direct the other group of weft ends toward said geared units on the op posite side of saidl support, said support acting as a separator for said groups.

2. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a pair of geared weft end engaging units extending on opposite sides of said support and rotating on the latter about axes extending toward said replenishing mechanism and tending to draw said weft ends away from the mechanism, said gearedv units having parts extending from said support away from said mechanism and having other parts extending from said support to` ward said mechanism, a thread guide directing the threads of one of said groups toward -the rst named parts of said geared units, and-a second thread guide directing the threads of the other group toward said other parts of the geared units, said support separating said groups `as the latter pass between their respective parts of said units.

'3. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a pair of geared weft end engaging units rotating on said support and tending to draw said weft ends awayl from the mechanism, said groups of weft ends passing between said units and depending therefrom, said units having free ends extending from the support away from said mechanism and having other free ends extending from the support toward said mechanism, a guide on said-support directing the weft ends of one of said groups toward the first named free ends of the geared units, and a second guide on said support directing the weft ends of the other group toward said other free ends of the geared units, said support separating the depending groups from each other.

4. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a,` pair of weft end engaging geared members rotatably mounted on the support and extending away from said mechanism, a guide directing one of said groups of weft ends toward said pair of geared members, a second pair of geared members mounted on said support and extending toward said mechanism, a second guide directing the other groups of weft ends toward said second pair of geared members,v and means causing rotation of said geared members on said support in a direction tending to draw said weft ends away from said mechanism.

5. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a pair of shafts rotatably mounted on said support and extending on opposite sides of the latter, a pair of thread engaging geared members'mounte'd one on each of saidshafts and located on that side of the support opposite the mechanism and engaging one of said groups of weft ends, a second pair of geared members also mounted one on each of said shafts and located on that side of the support adjacent to the mechanism and engaging the other group of weft'ends,

and means to cause rotation of said geared members during loom operation in such directions as to cause said geared members to tend to draw said weft ends away from said mechanism.

6. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which a group of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a. pair of geared units engaging said weft ends and rotating on said support about axes extending toward said replenishing mechanism and tending to draw said weft ends away from the mechanism, said geared units extending from the support toward the mechanism and having free ends facing the latter, and a guide having a weft end/guiding surface located farther from said mechanism than said free ends and directing said group of weft ends downwardly toward said geared units; y

7. In a weft replenishing loom having a group of weft ends extending from a magazine toward a .support and having a thread extending from said support to the adjacent selvage, geared members rotating on said support and tending to draw said weft ends and thread away from said magazine, said geared members extending from the support toward said magazine and having free ends facing the latter, a thread guide above said free ends and having two edges one of which is farther from said magazine than said free ends assassini Yand guides said weft ends and thread toward said geared members and the other edge of which' is nearer the magazine than said free ends and holds said thread away from said geared members after said thread is cut at the selvage and falls over said other edge.

8. In a weft replenishing mechanism having two groups of reserve bobbins from which two groups of weft ends extend to a thread holder, any of said weft ends involved in a replenishing operation subsequently extending from the thread holder to the selvage where it is cut, two pairs of geared members rotating on said thread holder and tending to draw said weft ends away from the mechanism, one pair being on that side of the holder remote from the mechanism and engaging one of said groups and the other pair being on that side of the holder adjacent to the mechanism and engaging the other of said groups, and guide means extending over the second pair of geared members and effective to hold any of said weft ends which are cut at the selvage away from said second pair of geared members.

9. In a weft replenishing mechanism having two groups of reserve bobbins from which two groups of weft ends extend to a thread holder, any of said weft ends involved in a replenishing operation subsequently extending from the thread holder to the selvage where it is cut, two pairs of geared members rotating on said thread holder and tending to draw said weft ends away from the mechanism, one pair being on that side of the holder remote from the mechanism and engaging 'one of said groups and the other pair being on that side of the holder adjacent to the mechanism and engaging the other of said groups, and guide means extending over the second pair of geared members and eiective to hold any weft end engaged by said one pair of geared members away from said second pair of geared members after said weft end is cut at the selvage.

10. In a thread holder for a weft replenishing mechanism from which two groups of weft ends extend toward a support spaced from the mechanism, a pair of weft end engaging geared members rotatably mounted on the support and extending away from said mechanism, a guide directing one of said groups of weft ends toward said pair of geared members, a second pair of geared members mounted on said support and extending toward said mechanism, a second guide directing the other group of weft ends toward said second pair of geared members and preventing engagement of said rst group of weft ends with said second pair of geared members, and means causing rotation of said geared members on said support in a direction tending to draw said weft ends away from said mechanism.

l1. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine from which two groups of. weft ends extend to a thread holder, any of said weft ends involved in a replenishing operation of the loom subsequently extending from the thread holder to the selvage where it is cut, a pair of geared members for one of said groups of weft ends located on that side of the thread holder remote from the magazine, a second pair of geared members on that side of the thread holder adjacent to the magazine for the other group of weft ends, and a guide over the second pair of geared members effective to hold a weft end belonging to either group away from said second pair of geared members when said weft end falls after cutting at the selvage.

12. In a weft replenishing mechanismr having two groups of reserve bobbins from which two groups of weft ends extend to a support, a Pair of geared members engaging one of said groups of weft ends and mounted on that side of said support remote from the replenishing mechanism and rotating in a direction to draw the ends of said one group of weft ends away from said replenishing mechanism, a second pair of geared members engaging the other of said groups of weft ends and mounted on that side of said support adjacent to the replenishing mechanism and rotating in a direction to draw the Weft ends of the other group away from said mechanism, and means preventing engagement of the ends of said one group of weft ends with said second pair of geared members.

13. In a weft replenishing loom having a magazine from which two groups of weft ends extend 'magazine for the other group of weft ends, and

a guide over the second pair of geared members effective to hold a Weit end belonging to either group away from said second pair of geared members when said weft end falls after cutting at the selvage, and also separate a out weft end belonging to one group from a cut weft end belonging to the other group.

OSCAR V. PAYNE. 

